There has been an increased on the flow of domestic and foreign tourists to the North Eastern states, including Sikkim, an official statement said here today.
12, 70, 2164 domestic and 11, 8,496 foreign tourists visited Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura during 2005, 2006 and 2007, the statement said.
The statement said the accommodation facilities to tourists are mainly a private sector activity, adding that as December 31, 2007, there were 739 rooms in 17 classified hotels in the North-Eastern States.
Development of tourism infrastructure at different places, including those in the North-East, is primarily the responsibility of the State government, the statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism said.
However, the Ministry of Tourism had extended Central Financial Assistance to State governments for tourism projects, under the scheme of Product and Infrastructure development for destinations and circuits on the basis of proposals received from them which are complete in all respect as per the scheme guidelines, inter-se priority and subject to availability of funds.
From 2006 to 2009, the centre had sanctioned Rs 51, 776, 49 lakh for expediting to 235 tourism projects in the North Eastern states, including Sikkim, it added.
As the safety and security of tourists is also primarily the responsibility of State governments, the release said some of the states have deployed Tourist Police at important tourist destinations, in one form or the other.